From 'The Big Sick' To The Big Spin

(Starts at 7:45)

After Kumail Nanjiani's breakout film, "The Big Sick," he was looking for an entirely different kind of role for his next project. When he came across the script for an action-comedy, he saw an opportunity to stretch himself and the themes of the movie. Nanjiani talks with John Horn and guest co-host Jen Yamato of the L.A. Times about his summer release, "Stuber," and how he worked to interweave his own journey with toxic masculinity into the action-packed, joy ride-style buddy-cop comedy.

Seeking The Upper Hand in Streaming

(Starts at :45)

John Horn talks with Joe Flint of The Wall Street Journal about his reporting on the video streaming wars: "WarnerMedia’s new direct-to-consumer service (HBO Max) will be the exclusive streaming home of the classic sitcom 'Friends' as well as more than a dozen original shows and movies, as the entertainment giant sharpens its strategy to take on Netflix. The loss of 'Friends,' which is owned by the Warner Bros. studio of AT&T Inc.’s WarnerMedia, is a blow to Netflix, where the show had been streaming exclusively for years and was its second-most-watched show in 2018, by time spent, according to Nielsen. Netflix is also losing its No. 1 show, 'The Office,' starting in 2021 when reruns of the hit sitcom move to a new streaming service being launched by Comcast Corp.’s NBCUniversal."

Troublesome Fishing For Gold In the Sea of Cortez

(Starts at 18:45)

If you have never heard of a small porpoise-like mammal called the vaquita, you’re not alone. Sadly, the chances that future generations will learn about the mammal are slim, at best. The nearly extinct vaquitas are a casualty of fishing nets in the Sea of Cortez, off Baja California. The nets are there to capture a fish called the totoaba, whose swim bladder is traded at a high price for its purported medicinal properties. The documentary “Sea of Shadows” examines not only the rapid eradication of the vaquita, but also the plight of local fishermen, who are caught in the middle. “Sea of Shadows” is in theaters this week. But we sat down early this year with the film’s director, Richard Ladkani, at the Sundance Film Festival where the documentary premiered.